Well, if Michael Keaton could do it, this might be OK. One of the biggest unanswered questions in recent Hollywood gossip was who was going to play Batman now that Christian Bale is done with the role. The Dark Knight Rises put a pretty solid cap on that part of Bruce Wayne’s life, but then people started talking about Justice League, then that changed into a Batman & Superman team-up movie, and now here we are: Ben Affleck.
This is interesting because Affleck’s name has been floating around the DC universe for a little bit – a few months ago, he was the rumored front-runner to direct the Justice League film. That rumor turned out to be unfounded, but it looks like he was talking about working in front of the camera instead.
Warner Brothers released a statement on their Facebook page last night (because I guess that’s how we do these things now) announcing Affleck’s attachment to the project. Warner Brothers President of Creative Development Greg Silverman had this to say:
“We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics’ most enduringly popular Super Heroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill, and then some. His outstanding career is a testament to his talent and we know he and Zack will bring new dimension to the duality of this character.”
The upcoming film, which will reunite Man Of Steel director Zack Snyder and star Henry Cavill, is still untitled, but we do know that it will keep Superman fairly young and inexperienced, bringing him into conflict and then cooperation with an older, wiser Batman. It’s not the first time that Affleck has played a superhero, but Daredevil was ten years ago. What do you think? Can a Boston boy pull off Gotham City’s favorite son, or is this one going to tank?